BACK behinds bars, this is the one-man crimewave behind a trail of devastation.

Spanning decades, Alfred Kirk’s home raid rampage has swept Tyneside.

But now the 31-year-old is back where he belongs, in a jail cell for seven-and-a-half years.

Kirk, known as Alfie, was snared during a police probe into a burglary spate in Newcastle’s West End, which saw 90 properties targeted in just three months.

On the hunt for goods to bankroll his hunger for heroin, the villain had climbed through the window of a house on Sidney Grove, Fenham, at around 7pm on April 20.

He swiped £250 cash and a number of watches but when he was disturbed by the terrified homeowner, he pushed her to the ground and kicked her, before running away.

But a squad of detectives set up to crack the burglary spree linked Kirk, of Wingrove Avenue, Fenham, to the offence and he was positively identified by the victim.

And after he was arrested along with a number of other key suspects, officers saw the number of home raids in the area plummet.

Kirk tried to deny the Sidney Grove offence but was found guilty of burglary and common assault at Newcastle Crown Court and locked up for seven-and-a-half years.

It was the latest in a long line of convictions for the villain, whose crooked career dates back to 1996.

By 1997, Kirk, then 19 and of Ladykirk Road, Benwell, already had 80 convictions robbery, burglary and theft to his name, having snatched his first purse at the age of 14.

But his time behind bars did nothing to deter him and in 2003 he got four years for burglary with intent to steal at Newcastle Crown Court.

While inside, he hooked up again with underworld contacts and was back on the rampage as soon as he was released.

Crippled by spiraling drug debts, he targeted a house in Fenham, from where he took £3,000 of property, including an antique pocket watch and First World War cap badge, which had been in the victim John Calder’s family for more than a century.

The pensioner appealed for the return of the 18-carat gold half-hunter watch and the badge, which belonged to his father.

Soon after that raid, he struck again, jemmying a window at a house in Gosforth to steal a wallet, while an accomplice drove the victim’s Peugeot from the driveway.

But Kirk was arrested when police spotted him loitering late at night near a cash machine in Kingston Park.

He got six-and-a-half years for those offences and at the time of his sentence, his defence team said he had been using hard drugs since the age of the 15, which was why he needed to steal.

But Kirk was released on licence last year, which led to his latest offence.

Now, officers are breathing a sigh of relief after he was put away again.

Det Chief Insp Jim Hetherington said: “Kirk had a complete disregard for other people’s property and belongings and the sentence passed shows the seriousness of this offence has been recognised and a burglar is now off the streets.

“It’s devastating for people when their homes are burgled and this result shows the determination to tackle offenders is paying off.

“We won’t rest on our laurels and we’ll continue to hunt down the small number of people who insist on bringing misery to our communities and ensure they are brought to justice.”

Newcastle CID’s Det Con Peter Fielding led the investigation into Kirk. He said: “The victim managed to identify Kirk and he was subsequently arrested and charged with the burglary and common assault. He was found guilty following a trial and has been jailed for seven and a half years.

“I’m pleased with the sentence passed which is the culmination of all the hard work of the team of detectives who made every effort to identify the person responsible for this offence and have him brought to justice.”

During the burglary spree, which included Kirk’s offence, fear swept through the West End, leading to a range of measures being introduced to bring it to a stop.

A mobile police station was placed in the area, community meetings were held regularly and joint home visits were carried out to educate residents about home security.